Fallacy Of Change

Fallacy of change is an irrational way of thinking evidenced by expecting others to change after being encouraged or pressured. Those with this unrealistic thought pattern often think that they can make a person become “better” with their efforts. This is often manifested in relationships; for instance, a girl is attracted to a “bad boy” because she thinks that he just needs a “girl like her” to become a “good boy”. Fallacy of change is one of the most common types of cognitive distortions based on Aaron Beck’s cognitive theory. These different types were developed by David Burns, a student of Beck.